The region which enjoyed an unprecedented period of development for approximately half a century is fracturing along geopolitical fault lines. Writes Drago Bosnic
The United States just raised the stakes in its geopolitical rivalry with China. As if months of escalating tensions with Beijing weren’t enough, Washington DC decided to send its B-52H strategic bombers to Australia in a move which is clearly aimed against the Asian giant.
The Royal Australian Air Force (RAAF) Tindal Air Base in the northern part of the country began receiving upgrades in order to host a permanent US strategic bomber presence. Experts have already dubbed the move a “signal to Beijing”, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported.
The nuclear-capable bombers are one of the arms of America’s nuclear triad and are normally deployed for “strategic deterrence” missions, usually against Russia, as Moscow is the only other nation which operates strategic nuclear bombers (better known as missile carriers in Russian military nomenclature).
“Having bombers that could [be in] range and potentially attack mainland China could be very important in sending a signal to China that any of its actions over Taiwan could also expand further,” the Center for New American Security’s Becca Wasser told the ABC.
The Australian broadcaster’s current affairs show, “Four Corners,” revealed the US documents according to which at least six nuclear-capable B-52H strategic bombers are to be deployed at the RAAF Tindal Air Base, located approximately 15 km east-southeast of the town of Katherine, in Australia’s Northern Territory. The airbase is also set to receive around $100 million in upgrades for the maintenance and space to accommodate the United States Air Force (USAF) aircraft.
“The ability to deploy US Air Force bombers to Australia sends a strong message to adversaries about our ability to project lethal air power,” the US Air Force told Four Corners.
In response to the deployment, Greens Senator David Shoebridge tweeted: “This is a dangerous escalation. It makes Australia an even bigger part of the global nuclear weapons threat to humanity’s very existence — and by rising military tensions it further destabilises our region.”
As previously mentioned, experts claim the B-52H will “send a clear signal to the Chinese that the Americans and their allies are planning for a war with China.” This was stated by Richard Tanter, a senior research associate at the Nautilus Institute and anti-nuclear activist, who gave the statement for “Four Corners.”
The move is certainly being closely monitored by the Chinese military, as the deployment of such strategic assets by any hostile power is surely seen as a major destabilizing factor and will make the airbase a high-priority target for neutralization in case of war. A recent op-ed in the Australian Financial Review, titled “Australia’s alliances in Asia are a tale of two regions,” points out that “the Biden administration’s chip restrictions on China to crush its technological capabilities is unambiguously [creating] a new Cold War.” James Curran, a historian and the author of the op-ed stated that “Australia has a complicated juggling act of catering to its top trading partner China and its top security partner, the US, while Washington DC pressures Canberra and other countries in the region to distance themselves from Beijing.”
The latest development might also represent another practical implementation of the AUKUS security deal involving Australia, the UK, and the US. The controversial framework, directly aimed against China, also allows the Australian Navy to acquire US-made nuclear-powered submarines, which is another burning issue Beijing already takes extremely seriously. Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Zhao Lijian responded to the news on Monday and indicated Beijing was clearly against such belligerent actions:
“The US’s move escalates regional tensions, gravely undermines regional peace and stability, and may trigger an arms race in the region.”
The Pentagon’s “footprint expansion” in northern Australia shows that Washington DC is “actively working on its sanitary cordon” of strategic bombers, nuclear-powered submarines and advanced fighter jets around China and other countries in East Asia. The move is also aimed against North Korea, which has expressed concern over the latest US-led war games in South Korea. The drills involve about 100 US warplanes and approximately 140 South Korean aircraft, with certain Australian assets also taking part. The Pentagon stated that the exercises were “designed to practice wartime missions, roles and tasks in an effort to enhance the combat readiness and survivability of US and [South Korean] forces.”
For its part, the North Korean Foreign Ministry responded that “the situation in the Korean Peninsula and its vicinity has entered the serious confrontation phase of power for power again due to the ceaseless and reckless military moves of the US and South Korea.” The ministry further warned that “if the US continuously persists in the grave military provocations, the DPRK will take into account more powerful follow-up measures.”
Given the exponential increase in military activities by all geopolitical actors in the Asia-Pacific region, it’s safe to say that the relatively long period of peace, stability and economic cooperation is effectively over. The region which enjoyed an unprecedented period of development for approximately half a century is fracturing along geopolitical fault lines, which is exactly what the belligerent thalassocratic establishment in the US aimed to accomplish as it’s struggling to maintain its crumbling imperial power.
